Yet again, the Pike Road Theatre Company, under James Keith Posey's astute direction, has delivered a dazzling production that entertains and inspires: Irving Berlin's White Christmas: the Musical.
In its two-year history, the PRTC's five show main season, as well as many successful ventures into Theatre for Youth, the largely sold-out runs have involved and entertained countless Pike Road residents and citizens from across the River Region. What an accomplishment! -- But this could be the last production at the Pike Road Intermediate School. Check the PRTC website for updates.
This time, the Christmas Spirit thoroughly engages audiences who leave the theatre with smiles on their faces, and ready to spread the joy that Mr. Posey's talented company brought them from the stage.
Based on the film of the same name, and showcasing many of Irving Berlin's most popular songs ["The Best Things Happen When You're Dancing", "Count Your Blessings", "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm", and "White Christmas" among them], the story is a familiar one in which two couples are thrown together, make mistakes, fall in and out of love, and come to the aid of a retired Army General with a company of show business folks, and all in the idyllic setting of a snowless Vermont country inn.
Former Army buddies and show-biz hooffers Bob Wallace [Jason Isbell] and Phil Davis [Jonathan Wilson] meet and fall in love with the Haynes Sisters, Betty [Stephanie Coppock] and Judy [Micki Head], a struggling singing duo; a few scheduling errors get them to an Inn run by retired General Henry Waverly [Eric Arvidson], whose business venture is falling apart, but kept alive by the hotel's feisty concierge, Martha Watson [Jan Roeton] and the innocent support of the General's granddaughter Susan [Kate Bradley].
With a large supporting cast in the Ensemble, minimal but effective set pieces, colorful costumes, production numbers' impressively managed choreography by Kim Isbell, and uniformly excellent singing in both the principal roles and the entire troupe, Mr. Posey sets a lively pace that never falters in the play's two-and-a-half-hours.
High quality acting accompanies the musical accomplishments, so we care about the individuals, their confusions, their connections with one another, and the final outcome.
It might be getting cold outside, but a trip to Pike Road to see this version of White Christmas will leave you feeling the warmth of the Season.
